August did not know what a king was, but he could tell they were quite important, and that was enough for him to ask. If his brother really was one of them, then August may end up having to deal with these people in the future.
Sasha seemed to collect herself a little, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear before lowering her checklist and speaking up.
"Well… if you want to really understand what a king is, it's going to be a lengthy explanation." She began to say, then paused to wait for confirmation. August nodded to display his interest and prompted her to continue.
"Four years ago, when the first humans woke up, we weren't very sure where we were, what was going on, or about anything really. It was total and utter chaos."
He could very clearly imagine what she meant. When August had gotten up, he had Alia to provide something of a guide for him. After they had been separated by the armored rhinoceros, he truly understood just how hard it was to survive, finding food had provided such a challenge than he had ended up relying on what they had found before.
And that had been only him, for hundreds of thousands, or even hundreds of millions of people, it was a death sentence. Much less the billions of members that humanity had before the crossing.
The blue haired girl had not stopped speaking.
"Many monsters had also been avoiding us whilst we slept, even now we aren't fully sure why. Though, when we woke up, they began to come in droves, small creatures, aura beasts, even some that resembled fantasy dragons and eldritch horrors. From what we know, billions died"
Sasha's lower lip began to quiver, and her body began to shake. Her eyes were wide and filled with what could only be described as terror. She began to take deep breaths and clutched her checklist so hard the wood crumbled in her grip as if it was made from biscuits.
Suddenly, August found himself wondering if the dark forest had really been that bad. They had to deal with quite a few challenges, but nothing that could have him react as she was. Needless to say, whatever humanity had gone through during the times she described, the scars were still fresh.
Yet, somehow the blue haired woman gather her courage and continued.
"It was then that the kings stepped up. They were human just like everyone else, but they fought like gods. Almost singlehandedly driving back all these beasts to the darkest corners of this continent and forcing them to flee across the sea. Hart Cross was the one who assembled this group, their leader."
He nodded silently, taking in the information being provided. August found himself both relieved and a bit jealous. On one hand, his brother was safe, if he was truly capable of such strength, he could at least be confident in the fact he was alive, but on the other, his brother had such strength, yet couldn't find him.
Still though, continents were enormous landmasses, so finding one person would prove a challenge.
He sat there in silence, thinking about many different things. He wondered if the eldritch horrors she described were as strong as those who existed in the old works of fiction he used to read, and if they were, how strong would the kings have to be to push them back?
None of this was truly pressing at him, as he simply wanted to hear what he needed to. Sasha must have understood this as she waited patiently for him to digest the information before continuing.
"After the monsters were gone, the kings divided up some of the remaining lands and ruled them separately. Of course, they didn't take it all, as they understood the variety of cultures that required their own lands, laws, and rules. They even divided up many of the remaining lands to provide to the churches that had survived or been born in the new world."
It was then that August provided his first question:
"If they managed to map the continent, shouldn't there have been some way to locate us?"
Sasha looked out the window, then nodded.
"There would have been, but there was one problem with that." she said timidly.
August raised his eyebrow, "And what would that be?"
"August…the forest, it is one of the corners of the continent. It's not that we did not find you. We couldn't. You woke up in one of the only places humanity could not venture into."
He was suddenly confused. Yes, the dark forest was perilous, and he had faced death many times in the early days, but after they had become accustomed to the ecosystem, survival was not an issue.
It was then that he paled.
He vividly remembered the battle between the two apex predators and the destruction it caused, but he also remembered something else. The multitude of creatures in the forest had opted to plunge themselves into the flames rather than venture to the west.
At the time, he had already thought that the beasts were attempting to choose the safer path. He just couldn't understand what they were running from.
Until now, that is.
He asked Sasha another question.
"When you say eldritch horror, what exactly do you mean?"
Sasha's face immediately became devoid of color, and she took another deep breath before speaking:
"Beings that contort reality itself, monsters capable of damaging the fundamental forces that govern the world." She responded rather curtly.
August nodded, deciding not to press the issue any further. He laid back into the welcoming softness of the mattress and took in a deep breath of his own.
Among the thoughts that pushed their way into his mind, there was one that took prevalence.
'Why is she the one they sent to explain? Is there nobody who wouldn't have a breakdown?'
~~~~~
Sasha left after finishing up a few more questions, leaving August with many things to think about. The blue haired woman's demeanor had changed drastically after their conversation. She became frank and quick with responses, clearly rather eager to finish her questioning.
That was the reason August did not ask any more questions, though he was brimming with them. He wanted to know more about this new world, the story of humanity in it.
He wanted to know more about the kings and how exactly they had divided up the land. What countries existed now? Where was humanity's technological advancement?
And most of all, he wanted to know more about skills.
He did not say anything about them at first, not wanting to reveal anything that could be used against him. Though from the blue haired woman's reaction to most of his questions and assuming her story was true. He wanted to know what exactly skills were, and how versatile they could really get.
As he laid upon the soft hospital bed, he rolled over and pressed his face into the pillow. He had not been able to sleep comfortably or safely in two months, and he intended to make the most of it while it lasted.
So as the thoughts ran rampant in his head, August allowed himself to drift peacefully into the embrace of sleep.
Tomorrow, he would start searching for answers.